


drivers license

by skyfalljaem



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, M/M, Mentioned Lee Jeno, Minor Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Pandemic, Unrequited Love, based off drivers license by olivia rodrigo, friends to almost lovers, friends to lovers to strangers, mark's a singer-songwriter, mark's in college, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28714260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyfalljaem/pseuds/skyfalljaem
Summary: guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	drivers license

"Ah, good," Jaemin's grinning good-naturedly as he sits in the seat opposite of Donghyuck. Donghyuck leans back in his stool, thankful he got chairs that had backs to them and takes a sip of his soda. "Jeno doesn't have to drive you everywhere anymore."

Donghyuck's eyes roll as if it's a second nature to him, used to the teasing, "You can't drive either."

"Legally," Jaemin hums, kicking his legs back and forth as the bar stools are high, even for him. "I can drive, just not legally. You couldn't drive, period."

"It was an accident," Donghyuck huffs, immediately knowing what his best friend was talking about. When the two were thirteen, Jaemin was extremely mad at his step-father and wanted to do something that would get him even with. Donghyuck proposed that they wreck his new car(because Jaemin's step-father was ... not a good person) and they did, with Donghyuck driving. "And we were thirteen and you didn't want to drive yourself."

"I didn't want to get in trouble," Jaemin shrugs before his phone dings and he glances at it, a small smile appearing on his face. Donghyuck doesn't even have to ask who it is, because he already knows judging from the smile on his lips. "Jeno's here to pick me up. You gonna be OK on your own?"

"As I have been for the past year," Donghyuck raises his eyebrows at him, getting up to walk him to the front door. "Have a nice night with your boyfie~"

"Shut up," Jaemin rolls his eyes, but there's a familiar lovesick look on his face that Donghyuck doesn't even have the heart to comment on. "I'll text you when I'm home. Oh, and watch Alice in Borderland while I'm gone, please! It's so good." He pauses for a second, "And--"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see," Donghyuck cuts him off, pushing him out the door. "Bye!" He shuts the door in his face before he even gets to respond. He can still hear Jaemin scoff and yell goodbye before he leaves. Donghyuck doesn't move until he hears Jeno's car drive out the driveway. He sighs, leaning back onto the door as he gets his phone out to check his notifications. He ignores the texts from his sisters, scrolling through to see if he got anything from the one person who mattered.

Nothing.

Donghyuck had posted a picture of him and his drivers license on Instagram the moment he had gotten it, and that was hours ago. Mark Lee was not busy on Sundays, he knew this for a fact. He always made sure he was free on Sundays to relax. Maybe he just hadn't checked Instagram, Donghyuck thinks. But when he checks Mark's account, there was a new post from an hour ago-- a picture of his food, the caption having a bunch of emojis in such Mark Lee fashion.

He exhales, letting his head fall back onto the door as his heart pangs in his chest. It had been months, and here he was, still pinning for a boy he didn't even have in the first place. He brings his phone back up to eye level as he clicks off Instagram and goes to his messages, searching up 'license' in the search bar. He clicks on the one with Mark, reading the messages from three months ago.

 **HYUCK**  
bc of the pandemic my test is months away <.<  
**MARK**  
annoying ...  
dw time will pass fast before u know it!! :D  
and u will have ur drivers license in ur hands  
ik its urs lol but im so excited its crazy  
but also a little sad?  
it feels like watching my kid grow up lol  
excited bc ur growing up but also sad bc ur growing up  
and i dont have to drive u anywhere anymore  
**HYUCK**  
i still wont have a car...  
u'll still get to drive me places  
**MARK**  
maybe hehe

Donghyuck realizes that Mark knew, months ago, that his parents would get him a car right before he took his driver's test. He hadn't thought anything of it before, but now it makes sense. He scrolls past the messages, skimming through them as his heart pounds. Why was love so cruel? What had he done in his life to deserve this?

He exhales through his nose and grabs his keys, pocketing his phone. He locks the front door behind him and gets in his car, his mind on autopilot as his feet and hands drive him to where he wants to go. The streets are familiar, even now when he hasn't been this way in months. Donghyuck knows it wasn't safe, but he kept thinking of Mark every second of the drive. The radio was on, playing some stupid pop song he's only heard once before but his thoughts were louder.

Mark Lee was the captain of the hockey team, he was a year ahead of Donghyuck and Jaemin, and Jaemin was how he met him, actually. Jeno wanted Jaemin to come to one of his parties but Jaemin didn't want to go alone as it was still early in their relationship, so he brought Donghyuck went. Donghyuck knew Mark from the team and from how much his female classmate talked about him, but other than that, they'd barely talked and Donghyuck assumed the two would have nothing in common seeing as how different they seemed on the outside.

Mark was with Jeno when the two of them arrived, and while Jeno and Jaemin talked, Mark awkwardly started a conversation with him. It was awkward until Donghyuck saw the Attack on Titan sticker on the back of the older's phone case. Mark had blushed so prettily that Donghyuck's heart rammed into his ribs, making it hard for him to breathe as Mark stumbled to answer Donghyuck.

And as they say, it had been history ever since.

And now, they were history.

"God," Donghyuck murmurs to himself, shaking his head as he remembers seeing the pictures of a pretty girl on Mark's Instagram Story. He had no idea who she was, but he figured she was one of his classmates. He didn't really think much of it because at first, it was just her on his story and then it was Mark having her in a post. He even tagged her, but Donghyuck didn't have the heart or stomach to stalk her. Donghyuck slows down as he turns on Mark's street, eyes peeling open to see if he could spot Mark's car. He didn't, and he sighs, of course not. He was probably still out eating.

Was he with her? He bet he was, because she seemed to be the only one on his Instagram now. Donghyuck doesn't even remember seeing any of Mark's older college friends on his Instagram now. What if they're dating? Donghyuck's heart almost jumps out of his chest when he almost doesn't stop at a red light, hearing a honk from the side of him before he backs up, eyes wide.

"Holy shit," he sighs, forcing his body to relax as he shakes his head and turns the radio up. He needs a distraction, and if it's the radio, he'll take it. Last thing he needs is to get in an accident the day he gets his license. That'd be bad. Donghyuck doesn't realize he knows the song that's playing on the radio until he hears himself humming along to it, pausing slightly before he stops and pays more attention to the song.

_When your breathing sound that feels like a lullaby reaches my ear_  
_You are sweet, pandora's box_

"You've gotta be fucking with me," Donghyuck says to himself, staring down at the dashboard as he hears the familiar lyrics. That's Mark's song-- that Mark wrote, for Donghyuck. A car honks and he startles, blinking as he sees that the light is green and he pushes on the gas lightly. His mouth feels dry, he doesn't recognize the voice, but he figures it's one of Mark's friends or whoever-- but he knows it's Mark's song. He even has a voice memo of the older singing the song to him when Donghyuck was in Jeju with his family for summer vacation.

Without even realizing, he turns when he can and drives back the way he came-- exactly back to Mark's street.

_Remember this moment of us_  
_Together, forever always, like us_

When the song ends, he's almost back to the street and he inhales sharply when the voice that comes on next is Mark's.

"Hey! This is my song, Pandora's Box, sung by Jung Jaehyun, a good buddy of mine," he chuckles in the Mark Lee way that Donghyuck found himself entranced in when he first met. "The song is, well, pretty self explanatory. I wrote it about--" Donghyuck's breathing hitches as he stops at a stop sign. "My girlfriend. We met maybe two months ago, but I'm pretty sure I love her. Ah, is this the way to tell someone you love them?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Donghyuck laughs waterly, "What the fuck, Mark Lee?" He turns on his street, already feeling the tears escape his left eye first, and then his right. The tears blur his vision and he frees one of his hands to wipe at his eyes so he won't crash. His head turns as he drives past Mark's house, finding that Mark came home right before he turned on the street. Mark's getting out of his familiar white car, jogging to the other side to open the door and out steps another familiar girl in a pretty, red dress. Mark smiles at her and leans in, but before Donghyuck can see them kiss, he turns away and steps on the gas.

Donghyuck doesn't speak, turning the radio off as he speeds out of the neighborhood, more tears rushing down his face as he switches hands on the steering wheel to get his phone out. He knows he shouldn't text and drive, but if he doesn't do it now, he'll never tell him and he needs to. His phone was still on Mark's contact when he puts his password in, glancing at the road every other second. His shoulders shake with every cry he refuses to let out, swallowing back the sobs. His foot lightens on the gas pedal and he types as quickly as he can with one hand and tears still blurring his vision slightly-- but thank God for auto correct.  
**HYUCK**  
how you could be so okay now that im gone  
guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me  
cause you said forever now i drive alone past your street  
fuck you. seriously  
fuck you, mark lee  
Donghyuck throws his phone to the passenger seat once he's done with his text, a heart-wrecking sob tearing his throat open as he looks back to the road with a bright light ahead of him.

**Author's Note:**

> drivers license is so, so good. pls go listen to it~!
> 
> also hope u enjoyed the markhyuck angst hehe
> 
> also i still dont know how to align on here so
> 
> twitter @skyfalljaem


End file.
